Some outgoing Congress members closing offices early

His successors don't take over until Jan. 3, but Rep. David Dreier, R-San Dimas, has already closed his congressional offices.

His district office on Foothill Boulevard in San Dimas closed Dec. 19, according to a handwritten note on the door. And his office in Washington, D.C., closed Dec. 21, according to a phone message.

Dreier has represented the San Gabriel Valley since 1981, but he opted not to run after his former 26th congressional district was scrapped during redistricting.

The closures of some congressional offices are drawing attacks from The Action in California, a group that is campaigning in support of President Barack Obama's tax plan.

"It's really unfortunate they're doing this, because we are really at a critical time right now," said Nicole Derse of The Action in California.

She said members of Congress should be accessible to constituents while lawmakers try to hammer out a compromise on the "fiscal cliff" budgetary scenario that calls for automatic spending cuts on Tuesday if the two political parties don't reach a budget compromise.

Derse's group singled out several Republican lawmakers who have closed their offices, including Sacramento-area Rep. Dan Lungren and Rep. Elton Gallegly of Camarillo. Both Lungren and Gallegly lost their election campaigns.

Derse said she didn't know if any Democrats had also shuttered their offices.

Several of California's Democratic members of Congress also seemed to be closing up shop ahead of their final day in office.

The district office of Rep. Howard Berman, D-Van Nuys, was closed and a receptionist there said she was waiting for the phone company to shut down the phone lines.

The phone lines for the district offices of Rep. Lynn Woolsey of the Santa Rosa area were already disconnected.

The district office of Rep. Laura Richardson, D-Long Beach, was still open Friday and a staff member said the last day of operation will be Wednesday. The office is operating with a skeleton crew, the staff member said.

Berman, Woolsey and Richardson lost their seats in the redistricting shuffle in the November election.

Republican campaign consultant Luis Alvarado said Democrats are lashing out instead of concentrating on the real issue of avoiding the fiscal cliff.

And Mike Spence, a prominent San Gabriel Valley Republican operative, wondered if constituents actually cared enough to call their members of Congress.

"If there were real constituents calling and wanting to talk about the fiscal cliff instead of worrying about Christmas and working to pay off their bills, I guess that would make this an issue," he said.

The new districts encompassing parts of Dreier's old district lean heavily Democratic, and Dreier would have likely lost if he ran for the new seats.

Most of his old area in the San Gabriel Valley is part of congressional seats won by Democratic Reps. Judy Chu, Adam Schiff and Grace Napolitano.

Whether representatives close operations early, those who don't win another term or choose not to run must make way for their replacements in the continuing cycles of the U.S. constitutional republic.

About 200 offices have been prepared for incoming Congress members since the election, according to Capitol Hill officials, and soon-to-be former members are required to vacate their spaces by late November or early December.

Those representatives are shuffled into what's known as a "departing member center," said Dan Weiser, communications director for the Chief Administrative Office of the House.

The CAO, a nonpartisan entity, provides support services to 10,000 House members, officers and staff.

The migration from regular digs to the more spartan departing member center takes some adjustment, since it only allows for basic equipment and a significantly smaller amount of space.

"Certainly, it's pared down from their office and there's not a whole lot of room there for everybody to work," Weiser said.